Oysters the Venetian and the Tarantin way

Ingredients for the oysters the Venetian way::

Juice of lemon, as much as needed	Ice, as much as needed
A little bit of cayenna pepper	A tuft of parsley
Caviar, as much as needed	slices of lemon as garnish

Ingredients for the oysters the Tarantin way:

Shelled mussels, two for every oyster	Ice, as much as needed
Pepper, a little	Tufts of parsley
Juice of lemon as much as needed	Segments or slices of lemon as garnish
Smoked salmon in strips, as much as needed

Preparation 

The oysters are to be served preferably in their own shells. In this case, after having opened the oysters, it is better to slightly wash them in salty water, to remove the impurities and to eliminate possible small splinters owed to the opening of the molluscs.

You shold just keep the shells where you are supposted to put the oysters. Then season the oysters with juice of lemon and a little bit of pepper and lay them on the dish or better on a base of ice. Garnish the dish with segments or slices of lemon. When we talk about oysters, we intend molluscs grown in a natural environment. 

The two recipes provide the addition of caviar (Venetian way) or of mussels and slices of salmon (Tarantin way), and they both provide the use of juice of lemon and pepper with a garnish of ice. They are two different ways to taste them “accompanied” to interest the person who is eating the oysters. Moreover, the eye wants its part. Remember that a well presented dish stimulate even more one’s appetite. 

For the Venetian way: open the oysters, take them away from the shell, wash them in salty water. Put the oysters in the concave shell, season them with a little bit of pepper of cajenna. Then lay the caviar around the shells as a rim and cover them with the other part of the hull. Put them in a base of ice decorating with tufts of parsley and segments or slices of lemon. This is also a very elegant preparation and of sure effect. While the table companion think that natural oysters are going to be served to him/her, he/she will appreciate the greater value that the dish will acquire because of the presence of the caviar. 

For the Tarantin way: the procedure is the same for what concerns the preparation. Beside the oysters, will be put two mussels shelled and washed as well. Season some strings of smoked salmon. In this case the oyster should not be covered with the other part of the hull but introduced in view. 

Combining wines 

The oyster is one of the most important molluscs; it is rich of proteins (9%), of fats 
(1,2%) and of carbohydrates (5%). Its sea taste is accompanied by an important structure that needs a mature white wine, harmonic, justly acid, rather alcoholic (the alcohol in this case has a function as a detergent and makes the oyster more pleasant thanks also to the bearing of the acidity). The taste should be rather neutral with a slightly bitterish presence. 

Recommended wines